Former US President Donald Trump may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping either before or during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the meeting could happen during Trump’s visit to the region between October 30 and November 1. While a final decision is yet to be made, sources suggest that both countries are open to the idea of holding the talks soon.
The potential meeting comes as Washington and Beijing try to resolve their long-running tariff dispute, which has disrupted global trade. The two nations have discussed arranging a meeting between their leaders but haven’t confirmed a location or date. Trump, who is campaigning for re-election, has proposed new tariffs to boost local manufacturing, drawing both support and criticism from different sectors.
In recent months, Trump has pushed for a 10 percent universal base tariff on all imported goods, with even higher rates for “problematic” countries like China. Currently, Chinese imports face a steep 55 percent tariff. Trump has set a deadline of August 12 to finalize a long-term trade deal with China, putting additional pressure on both sides to reach an agreement quickly.
Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malaysia. Both described the meeting as positive and said progress was made. Rubio mentioned that Xi had invited Trump to visit China and emphasized that both leaders were interested in making the meeting happen.
Meanwhile, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said Beijing is committed to rebuilding stable trade relations with the US. He added that recent discussions held in Europe proved that a trade war is unnecessary and that both sides can find common ground through dialogue and cooperation.